NFL roster 2018: 146 players with Alabama football roots

During the 2018 season, 146 players from Alabama high schools and colleges had the opportunity to play in an NFL game. Not every one of them did, but all of them were on the active roster of an NFL team on game day at least once in 2018.

The players represented 55 Alabama high schools and 11 state colleges, and they accounted for every position on the field, particularly defensive back.

Thirty-seven of the state's NFL players in 2018 were defensive backs. There also were 25 defensive linemen, 22 linebackers, 18 offensive linemen, 16 running backs, 13 wide receivers, six quarterbacks, three tight ends, two long snappers, two place-kickers, one fullback and one punter. That's 84 defensive players, 57 offensive players and five specialists.

Seventy-five of the players came from Alabama high schools, with 14 schools producing more than one player, led by four apiece from Daphne and Oxford.

The state's colleges sent 113 players to the NFL, led by 54 from Alabama. Auburn had 34, UAB seven, Jacksonville State and West Alabama five apiece, Samford four, Troy three, South Alabama two and Alabama State, Alabama A&M and North Alabama one each. Four players went to more than one state college.

Thirty-four of the players made their NFL debuts in 2018.

A rundown on the state's players from 2018:

Adam Glanzman

Ameer Abdullah, running back, Detroit Lions/Minnesota Vikings

Homewood: Abdullah led the Lions in rushing in 2015 and 2017, but the addition of LeGarrette Blount and Kerryon Johnson in the offseason severely limited his opportunities in Detroit. Abdullah played in three games before being waived on Nov. 6. Claimed by the Vikings, he took over as the Vikings' kickoff returner. For the season, he returned 14 kickoffs for a 26.1-yard average, caught three passes for 28 yards and had a 1-yard rushing attempt. He enters the offseason as a free agent.

Montravius Adams, defensive lineman, Green Bay Packers

Auburn: After joining the Packers in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Adams had his rookie season derailed by a stress fracture in his foot during training camp. After playing 66 defensive snaps in seven games last season, Adams played in every game in 2018, getting in for 212 defensive snaps. He got one start, made 21 tackles, recorded 1.5 sacks and forced a fumble after entering the regular playing rotation halfway through the season.

Mario Addison, defensive end, Carolina Panthers

Tarrant, Troy: In his second season as a starter for the Panthers, Addison registered nine sacks, giving him 29.5 over the past three seasons. Addison also had 35 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 12 quarterback hits and two forced fumbles.

Kwon Alexander, middle linebacker, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Oxford: Alexander led the NFL with 108 solo tackles in 2016 and earned Pro Bowl recognition in 2017, but he played only six games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in his fourth season because of a torn ACL. Alexander had 45 tackles, one sack, six tackles for loss, two passes defended and two forced fumbles in his abbreviated 2018 campaign. He enters the offseason as a free agent.

Jonathan Allen, defensive end, Washington Redskins

Alabama: A foot injury limited Allen's rookie season to five games after he'd been the 17th player picked in the 2017 NFL Draft. In 2018, he started every game for the Redskins. Allen finished second on the team with eight sacks and led Washington's linemen with 61 tackles, including 11 behind the line of scrimmage.

Ryan Anderson, outside linebacker, Washington Redskins

Daphne, Alabama: In his second NFL season, Anderson registered the first two sacks of his career. In 13 games, he made 18 tackles while on the field for 163 defensive snaps and 162 special-teams plays. Anderson also lined up at fullback 11 times.

Chris Graythen

Cameron Artis-Payne, running back, Carolina Panthers

Auburn: Running back Christian McCaffrey hardly came off the field for the Panthers' offense in 2018, which was bad news for Artis-Payne, even after Carolina cut C.J. Anderson and elevated him to McCaffrey's backup during the season. In his fourth NFL season, Artis-Payne had 19 carries for a career-low 69 rushing yards and one touchdown. He also caught three passes for 15 yards.

Anthony Averett, cornerback, Baltimore Ravens

Alabama: A fourth-round choice in the NFL Draft in April, Averett played in 11 regular-season games plus a playoff contest as a rookie, missing five games because of a hamstring injury. He made five tackles and broke up two passes while on the field for 71 defensive snaps and 147 special-teams plays during the regular season.

Peyton Barber, running back, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Auburn: In his third NFL season, Barber served as the Buccaneers' No. 1 running back. He started every game and ran for 871 yards (10th in the NFC) and five touchdowns on 234 carries. He also caught 20 passes for 92 yards and one TD. He established a career high with 106 rushing yards against the New York Giants on Nov. 18.

Mark Barron, inside linebacker, Los Angeles Rams

St. Paul's Episcopal, Alabama: Barron started the season by missing the first four games with injuries and ended it by making eight tackles in Super Bowl LIII. In his seventh NFL season, Barron recorded 60 tackles, including a sack, in 12 regular-season games.

Daren Bates, linebacker, Tennessee Titans

Auburn: In his sixth NFL season, Bates continued to work as one of the busiest special-teams players in the NFL. In 2018, Bates got on the field for 348 special-teams plays. He also played 40 defensive snaps for the Titans and registered nine tackles this season.

Angelo Blackson, defensive lineman, Houston Texans

Auburn: In his fourth NFL season and second with Houston, Blackson had the best season of his career. He played in every game and started four times. Blackson played 430 defensive snaps (40 percent of the Texans' total) and registered 24 tackles, one sack and three passes defended.

Mark Brown

Bradley Bozeman, center, Baltimore Ravens

Handley, Alabama: Bozeman played in 14 games as a rookie after joining the Ravens as a sixth-round draft choice in April. Bozeman appeared in 10 games and played 214 snaps with the Baltimore offense, including 56 on Oct. 21 against the New Orleans Saints, when he started at left guard.

James Bradberry, cornerback, Carolina Panthers

Pleasant Grove, Samford: Bradberry has started every game he's played since joining the Panthers in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He started all 16 games at left cornerback for the second straight season in 2018, when he made 70 tackles, recorded one sack, intercepted one pass, broke up 15 passes and forced a fumble.

Tony Brown, cornerback, Green Bay Packers

Alabama: After going undrafted in April, Brown signed with the Los Angeles Chargers, but he didn't make the team coming out of the preseason. Brown landed with the Packers in the fourth week of the season and wound up playing 11 games. He got regular playing time on defense in the final four games, including three starts, and played every defensive snap in the last two. For the season, Brown made 34 tackles and broke up five passes.

Malcolm Butler, cornerback, Tennessee Titans

West Alabama: Butler signed a five-year, $61.25 million contract after four seasons with the New England Patriots in the offseason, but he got off to a rocky start with the Titans. He started the first five games of the season, before shifting to a reserve role. Back in the starting lineup in December, Butler played about as well any cornerback in the league for the final month of the season, when he made two interceptions (returning one 56 yards for a touchdown), broke up six passes and made 23 tackles. For the season, Butler made 69 tackles, intercepted three tackles, broke up 12, forced a fumble and recorded a sack.

Josh Bynes, inside linebacker, Arizona Cardinals

Auburn: In his eighth NFL campaign, Bynes opened the season as a starter for the first time. As the Cardinals' middle linebacker, he made 75 tackles, two sacks, five tackles for loss, five passes defended and one fumble recovery, which he returned 23 yards for his first NFL touchdown. That was all in 11 games because in Arizona's 11th game, Bynes suffered a season-ending thumb injury.

Daniel Carlson, place-kicker, Minnesota Vikings/Oakland Raiders

Auburn: The Minnesota Vikings selected Carlson in the fifth round of the NFL Draft in April, then cut him after he missed three field-goal attempts (including two in overtime and one of the last snap of the game) in the second week of the season. Carlson joined the Raiders for the second half of the season, and he made 16-of-17 field-goal attempts and all 18 of his extra-point kicks. Carlson earned the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for the 11th week of the season after hitting a field goal on the final play of the Raiders' 23-21 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

Jonathan Daniel

James Carpenter, guard, New York Jets

Alabama: Carpenter played every offensive snap of the first 10 games of 2018 at left guard, but he didn't play at all in the final six games because of a shoulder injury. The injury ended Carpenter's streak of 58 starts for the Jets -- every game since he signed with New York in free agency in 2015. Carpenter will be a free agent again this year.

Blaine Clausell, offensive tackle, Arizona Cardinals

Baker: Since entering the NFL in 2015, Clausell had been on the practice squads of the New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens and Carolina Panthers and the active roster of the Washington Redskins, but he'd never played in a regular-season game until he got on the field in two of the Cardinals' first eight games of the 2018 campaign. Clausell got two offensive snaps and five special-teams plays before Arizona waived him on Oct. 30.

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, safety, Green Bay Packers/Washington Redskins

Alabama: After playing in every Green Bay game since joining the Packers as a first-round draft choice in 2014, Clinton-Dix finished the season with Washington. Green Bay sent Clinton-Dix to the Redskins seven games into the 2018 season for a fourth-round draft choice on Oct. 30. In seven games with the Packers in 2018, Clinton-Dix intercepted three passes and made 27 tackles. He didn't have an interception with Washington but nearly doubled his tackle rate to finish with 66 in nine games with the Redskins. Clinton-Dix played every defensive snap while with the Green Bay and did the same in seven of his nine games with the Redskins. Clinton-Dix enters the offseason as a free agent.

Sammie Coates, wide receiver, Houston Texans

Leroy, Auburn: In his fourth NFL season and first with Houston, Coates played in 12 of the Texans' first 14 games before being released with two weeks left in the regular season. Coates caught a 12-yard pass during his 37 offensive snaps, and he also was on the field for 137 special-teams plays.

Shon Coleman, offensive tackle, San Francisco 49ers

Auburn: Coleman started every game at right offensive tackle and played 1,044 offensive snaps with the Cleveland Browns in 2017. The Browns signed former UAB standout Chris Hubbard in free agency to man right tackle and gave Coleman the first crack at replacing retired Pro Bowl perennial Joe Thomas at left tackle. At the end of the preseason, Cleveland traded Coleman to the 49ers for a seventh-round draft choice. Coleman spent the 2018 season on San Francisco's active roster, but he did not play in a game during the entire campaign.

Landon Collins, strong safety, New York Giants

Alabama: For the third straight season, Collins earned selection as the starting safety for the NFC Pro Bowl team. For the second straight season, though, he couldn't play in the game. This time, a shoulder injury that cost Collins the final four games of the 2018 regular season kept him sidelined. Despite the injury, Collins finished as the Giants' leading tackler for the fourth straight season. In 12 games, Collins made 96 tackles and broke up four passes.